The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) told school districts on August 18, 2025, that it will stop offering the Expanded Learning Time (ELT) option under the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) effective October 1, the start of the federal fiscal year. State records show 132 school sites, all in rural areas, were approved for the ELT option for the 2025-26 school year. The option had allowed schools with extended school days to serve a federally reimbursed third meal, typically supper, during the enrichment part of the day.
OSDE and USDA cited compliance failures as the reason. In an August 20 video call with district leaders, Kassi Reddell, OSDE's state director for CACFP, said state and federal authorities found multiple cases of noncompliance, stating there was no identifiable academic or enrichment activity beyond the meal in many of those cases, and that if the meal were removed, there would effectively be no program left. USDA said in a statement provided by OSDE that the discontinuation was essential for upholding program integrity and maintaining compliance with federal requirements.
OSDE says districts can switch to the standard CACFP At-Risk Afterschool program, which requires a structured after-school program with meals served after the school day ends. OSDE spokesperson Tara Thompson said 13 districts had begun the application process to transition to the after-school snack program as of early September, and that school breakfasts and lunches remain unaffected. OSDE said it had no documents reflecting the total amount of federal funds the ELT program covered.
District impact and legislative response
Some districts reported substantial reliance on the ELT program. Shawnee Public Schools, which had participated since at least 2017, served 28,000 meals through the program last year. Wynnewood Public Schools stands to lose about $30,000 each month in federal reimbursement. Haworth Public Schools, with 400 students, said 70 percent of its students depend on the program.
More than 50 Oklahoma lawmakers from both parties and both chambers signed a letter led by Sen. David Bullard (R-Durant) asking OSDE to suspend the decision. Bullard argued that OSDE lacks legal authority to independently change federal program rules and warned of a possible lawsuit. Sen. Adam Pugh (R-Edmond), chair of the Senate Education Committee, described lawmakers as blindsided and said the agency acted rashly.
Logistical hurdles for rural districts
The alternative program that OSDE recommends, the standard CACFP At-Risk Afterschool program, carries a requirement that meals be served at least 30 minutes after the school day ends. According to an OSDE email sent to districts, this is a state-imposed rule. For rural districts where students board buses immediately when school lets out, the 30-minute gap creates a logistical obstacle, as reported by KJRH. Federal regulations at 7 CFR § 226.17a require at-risk afterschool programs to include organized, regularly scheduled activities with education or enrichment in a structured, supervised environment. There is no federal requirement for a specific time gap between the end of school and meal service, though the regulation allows states to set their own meal-time rules.
Dispute over state discretion
Hunger Free Oklahoma, a food-access advocacy group, publicly opposed the decision. The organization stated that the ELT discontinuation was not a decision OSDE was required to make, that the federal option remains available, and that other paths could have been explored. This position contests OSDE's framing that the termination was necessary for federal compliance, suggesting the state had discretion.
State Superintendent Lindel Fields said the decision followed USDA's recommendation. He said that the move is not about denying kids food, that a program is available to schools that comply with the law, and that children will not go hungry. Fields noted that schools can pivot to an afterschool program.
Background: A decade-old federal option and recent compliance scrutiny
The ELT option was created by USDA in 2011, when the agency expanded its CACFP At-Risk Afterschool program to include schools operating under expanded learning time, defined as a school day at least one hour longer than the minimum required by the local educational agency. The policy option has been available to qualifying schools nationwide for more than a decade.
Oklahoma's decision also follows a dispute between OSDE and the nonprofit Feed the Kids, which administered ELT and afterschool programs at more than 50 sites. OSDE sent a serious deficiency letter in January 2025 alleging fraudulent practices and demanded about $345,000 in repayment. A review officer in the state attorney general's office overturned OSDE's suspension of the nonprofit in February, finding compliance concerns but not proving all fraud claims. The Oklahoma State Board of Education voted in July to deny Feed the Kids' application to continue.
Oklahoma officials also referenced high-profile fraud cases in Minnesota involving federal CACFP nutrition funds for child care centers, where USDA urged states to place stronger safeguards on the program. Oklahoma's termination is specific to the state's administration of the ELT option.
Hunger Free Oklahoma also noted that the decision comes as 56,000 fewer Oklahoma children can access SNAP since the passage of federal H.R. 1.